Tony Abbott stared down by North Korean soldiers as he visits the DMZ

Phillip Coorey, Panmunjom

Prime Minister Tony Abbott stared across the border at North Korea and labelled it an outlaw state and a threat to world peace on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, there were eyes staring right back.

As Mr Abbott inspected the T2 hut in the demilitarised zone, situated on the 38th Parallel, the old trench line where the 1953 ceasefire was signed, three North Korean guards came down the steps from the building across the border and stood just metres from the Prime Minister, taking their own souvenir photos and exchanging menacing glares with the US and South Korean soldiers.

When Mr Abbott entered the hut, the North Korean guards stared at him through the window. As the Prime Minister exited, he and one of the North Koreans eyeballed each other.

North Korean soldiers stare at Prime Minister Tony Abbott through the window as he tours the T2 hut at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) during his visit to the Republic of Korea on Wednesday. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Despite it being a fleeting visit, Mr Abbott said it was timely to remember the 17,000 Australians who fought in the three-year war and the almost 400 who died.

He also thanked the Americans and South Koreans who continue "to guard our freedom".